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Tuesday, March 28

David Beebe takes a deep dive into the art and science of M Live - Marriott International's globally-located social media and real-time marketing command centres. In this keynote, David will share the story behind the M Live program, the strategy behind how data and technology come together to engage consumers in meaningful ways, and the ROI M Live delivers in winning the hearts, minds and wallets of the next generation of travelers. You'll leave this session understanding how content can create communities that drive commerce, with real-world examples and strategies to help take your social media and content efforts to the next level.

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Please use this time to select your next destination - publishers will be providing information regarding their platforms and best practices at Upfront Sessions throughout the day, and branded content workshops will be offered as alternative programming.

Globe Media Group is investigating current trends, interviewing leading publishers and content marketers in Canada and the US to discover what directions branded content is moving in. Join Sean Stanleigh, Managing Editor of Globe Edge Content Studio, as he shares insights and expertise on:

Innovative storytelling tools

New distribution techniques

The power of “experience”

Influences of technology, like AI

Don’t miss this information-rich and lively discussion.

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Throughout the day, the BCON Expo will host workshops that discuss the building blocks of a great branded content campaign. “Gathering insights, part 1” will address the fundamentals of getting to know your audience, delving into the diligence and research that goes into learning about your target market before getting to the creative stage.

Influencer marketing is the phrase du jour, with brands both big and small clamouring for the latest and greatest audiences following influencers of all stripes. With so many in the mix, how does a brand use influencers as part of their content, and manage to stand out from the crowd? Our panel of brand experts will discuss their tried and true methods, based on their own robust influencer-based branded content efforts.

Content marketing is broadly accepted as a mass awareness channel - a top-of-the-funnel tactic that can bring visibility to your brand. But great content marketing can be so much more. In this session, Metroland's Mijana Germanski will share tips and insights on how brands and publishers can work hand-in-hand to create awesome - and effective - content marketing programs that lead customers further down the path-to-purchase.

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The second iteration of our content series will address the steps to getting to good insights—where they live and why a simple, concise and beautiful insight leads to creative that moves people. Following this two-part series, join Heather Loosemore of Walmart Canada later in the afternoon for our third branded content workshop—“Building your editorial calendar.”

Heroes of Hockey Day in Canada is Scotiabank's first-ever serialized broadcast, digital, and social branded content series. With twenty 90-second episodes that air weekly on TV and online, Heroes features endearing kids, powerful stories about giving back to the community, NHL superstar P.K. Subban and other hockey greats, and more. But how effective has this content series been in elevating the Scotiabank brand among consumers, and generating sales for the bank? Christine Wilby and Justin Lipton from the Scotiabank Brand and Sponsorship teams, respectively, will give BCON Expo attendees an exclusive look at the Heroes of Hockey Day strategy, and how the bank optimized and grew the branded content program over three hockey seasons.

It has been almost a year since YouTube launched the six second bumper ad. Since then we've hosted two six second film festivals, run thousands of campaigns and collected a library's worth of data. In this session we'll discuss what we've learned, what we haven't and how you can start making this new and interesting ad format work for you.

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Part three of today's workshop series. As a follow-up to our earlier "Gathering Insights” sessions, this workshop will walk attendees through the process of planning your branded content campaign launch calendar, including what to do in the lead-up to launch and what your post-launch activities and preparations should look like.

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With the launch of Vice Money, a new vertical within the Vice network, BMO forged an exclusive partnership and became the sole provider of financially-focused branded content for the media property's largely millennial audience. It wasn't an easy task, and in fact signaled a monumental shift in the way BMO marketed its services, and introduced a new target demographic for the bank. As one of the primary voices advocating for the launch of the BMO Vice Money project, Michael Letsche will take the audience behind the scenes of this branded content program, discussing the ways in which the bank seeks to target millennials with content that is relevant and informative, and also delivers ROI.

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With audiences apparently caring less and less about advertising, is the solution really for every brand to create content that people ‘choose’ to watch, perhaps through cultural relevance or ‘doing good’? What about the argument that suggests organic is dead? And what about the growing importance of algorithms choosing content for us?

Citing various UK and international case studies, Tom casts an eye on the future of brand communications and offers a view on how the industry needs to adapt given the challenges and opportunities facing advertisers now and over the next few years.